Heartbeats
by The Pocket Letters
Summary: It's every vampire for himself. An army of neophytes and their creator are bent on taking over the world, and they're starting with Forks. Rated M for future possible scenes of violence, adult themes, and coarse language.


_Author's Note:_ I am writing this fic partially to redeem Bella in my mind. In Eclipse, she bugged the hell out of me. She was so incredibly mean to Edward, Jacob, and Alice. She was far too out of character, and her characterization was weak and lame. I hope you enjoy this fic. : Happy reading.

_Disclaimer:_ I do not own Bella, Edward, or any of the other characters. They are all creations of Stephenie Meyer.

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_Introduction_

**It's every man—or vampire, I should say—for himself.**

**The Volturi are not pleased that Bella's heart has not yet ceased to beat and their patience wears thin with each passing day. They simply watch and wait, preparing to end Bella's life themselves if necessary.**

**Jacob Black has disappeared into the wilderness to escape his building passion for Isabella Swan, and his contempt that she chose a vampire over him. However, he isn't sure how long his self control will hold...**

**Isabella and Edward are preparing to marry, and till death do them part is never a strong enough term when they will never die.**

**A new terror is rising in the South, a terror that is residual from the old vampire wars. Beneath the Volturi's nose, an army is being raised, an army of neophytes. They are strong and nearly indestructable. Those in charge of the army have not yet revealed themselves. The creators plan to take over the world, starting with the little town of Forks, Washington.**

**Enemies will fight side by side once more to rid the world of this evil, once and for all.**

**Or else face extermination.**

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It was a nice day, I decided, as I gazed out the window in Edward's room. The sun hid behind a group of clouds; it would be safe for Edward to be out and about today. He was hunting with Emmett, leaving me to languish on the windowsill, deliberately ignoring Alice. She'd been forcing my feet into a dreadful variety of shoes for a good part of three hours. She was attempting to find one to match my wedding dress.

I looked down at Elizabeth Masen's ring on my finger and twisted the band anxiously, wondering if this really was the best thing for me. Edward was absolutely thrilled about the wedding, but when I asked him if he was planning anything, he would simply smile vaguely and kiss my forehead. Emmett's eyes did Edward's talking, however, and I soon discovered that Edward was, indeed, preparing. He'd already been fitted for his suit, but he wouldn't even let me begin to wonder what it looked like. He had always been enigmatic, but this situation certainly took the cake.

Every day, Edward seemed to expect me to come to him, explaining that I couldn't go through with the wedding, or the transformation for that matter. It was exactly this attitude of his that determined me to stick through all of it. I considered my prize if I complied with his demands. I would received Edward, and would be able to experience the magic of our honeymoon night in human form. And I would be able to be with him forever. Although I still was slightly opposed to the marriage deal, I knew that it was something I had to compromise on, as he wouldn't even budge.

"Bella! I know you're in there. Rosalie and I want to show you our bridesmaid dresses!" Alice called through the keyhole.

I sighed and slithered off the windowledge, unlocking the door.

Alice danced in, a blur of white, black, and navy. Rosalie followed, a vision of terrifyingly inhuman beauty. Lately, she had been sullen. I surmised it was due to her assumption that I didn't even heed her lecture, and was still planning on going through with this. I would have to explain my reason why I wanted to become one of the immortal. It was because I was in love with Edward, and always would be. I didn't know how I could ever possibly survive without him by my side for the rest of my life. We certainly could not grow old together; there really was no other way.


End file.
